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A review by mctmama
The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor by Heather K. Jones, Gina Homolka
5.0
What a fantastic cookbook for people who want to eat tasty food, but eat healthier and in moderation! Unlike most people, I was not familiar with the author Gina Homolka's blog www.skinnytaste.com, so this book was a refreshing introduction to her philosophy of food, healthy eating, and cooking! Gina had tried diets, was not successful, and although she appreciated Weight Watchers, she wanted healthy "non-diet" food to feed herself and her family. A graphic designer, she started the Skinnytaste blog for fun and to share her recipes. It is now her full time job!
The book gives you a brief introduction into her food philosophy, which is eat in season whole foods, focus on vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, modest amounts of meat, fish, or dairy, and cut back on salt, refined sugars, white flour and partially hydrogenated oils. All worthy goals! She suggests that you plan your menus for the week, and make a shopping list before grocery shopping. When picturing your dinner plate, Gina says 1/2 the plate should be salad and veggies, 1/4 meat (protein) and 1/4 whole grains. Simple, yet good advice. The book is structured into chapters for breakfast, soups and chilis, sandwiches, appetizers, main dish salads, poultry, lean meats, fish, side dishes, and sweets. I loved how she has a simple key: Q for quick (30 minutes or less), SC for slow cooker, FF for freezer friendly, V for vegetarian, GF for gluten free. Gina also partnered with a registered dietitian Heather K. Jones to provide nutritional information about the recipes. Each recipe has a box on the lower right hand corner of the page detailing calories, fat grams, cholesterol, carbs, fiber, protein, sugars, and sodium. The serving size, example 1 cup, is also specified. Another basic recommendation - all salts are not created equal, and Gina recommends Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. I also like how she has hints she calls the "skinny scoop" liked simple substitutions, how to wrap before freezing, etc. She also has "perfect pairings" to suggest how to serve dishes, or what sides compliment the main dish.
Finally, the recipes. Looking at the cover, which featured "Kiss my Shrimp and Grits" on page 219, I knew I was going to find a lot of dishes I wanted to cook. I love breakfast, so the make ahead Western Omelet "muffins" caught my eye, along with the Apple 'n spice baked oatmeal. There was also a winter potato, kale, and sausage frittata that I would serve for dinner. Pumpkin vanilla glazed scones, rustic Italian gnocchi soup, Buffalo chicken melts, Pear and brie grilled cheese. My mouth was watering just reading these recipes! The book also contains a lot of great, high quality photographs, so you can picture how the dishes should look.
My highest praise for this book is that although I received my copy free from Blogging for Books (in exchange for an honest review), I recommended that our adult non-fiction librarian immediately purchase it for my library, and I plan to buy a copy for my daughter who recently graduated from college and is working and living in a new city. This book makes a great addition to a library collection, or your personal cookbook collection.
The book gives you a brief introduction into her food philosophy, which is eat in season whole foods, focus on vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, modest amounts of meat, fish, or dairy, and cut back on salt, refined sugars, white flour and partially hydrogenated oils. All worthy goals! She suggests that you plan your menus for the week, and make a shopping list before grocery shopping. When picturing your dinner plate, Gina says 1/2 the plate should be salad and veggies, 1/4 meat (protein) and 1/4 whole grains. Simple, yet good advice. The book is structured into chapters for breakfast, soups and chilis, sandwiches, appetizers, main dish salads, poultry, lean meats, fish, side dishes, and sweets. I loved how she has a simple key: Q for quick (30 minutes or less), SC for slow cooker, FF for freezer friendly, V for vegetarian, GF for gluten free. Gina also partnered with a registered dietitian Heather K. Jones to provide nutritional information about the recipes. Each recipe has a box on the lower right hand corner of the page detailing calories, fat grams, cholesterol, carbs, fiber, protein, sugars, and sodium. The serving size, example 1 cup, is also specified. Another basic recommendation - all salts are not created equal, and Gina recommends Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. I also like how she has hints she calls the "skinny scoop" liked simple substitutions, how to wrap before freezing, etc. She also has "perfect pairings" to suggest how to serve dishes, or what sides compliment the main dish.
Finally, the recipes. Looking at the cover, which featured "Kiss my Shrimp and Grits" on page 219, I knew I was going to find a lot of dishes I wanted to cook. I love breakfast, so the make ahead Western Omelet "muffins" caught my eye, along with the Apple 'n spice baked oatmeal. There was also a winter potato, kale, and sausage frittata that I would serve for dinner. Pumpkin vanilla glazed scones, rustic Italian gnocchi soup, Buffalo chicken melts, Pear and brie grilled cheese. My mouth was watering just reading these recipes! The book also contains a lot of great, high quality photographs, so you can picture how the dishes should look.
My highest praise for this book is that although I received my copy free from Blogging for Books (in exchange for an honest review), I recommended that our adult non-fiction librarian immediately purchase it for my library, and I plan to buy a copy for my daughter who recently graduated from college and is working and living in a new city. This book makes a great addition to a library collection, or your personal cookbook collection.